Agitator for clothes washing machines and the like



June 16, 1931. L. A. HERSH AGITA'TOR FOR CLOTHES WASHING MACHINES AND THE LIKE- Filed Aug. 16. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l uvvzwom LOVELL A. HERSH- I ATTORNEY June l6,1931. L A.I-.ERSH 1 8 1.

AGITATOR FOR CLOTHES WASHING MACHINES AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 16. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lNl/ENTOR. LOVELL A. HERSH- Patented. June 16,1931 4 UNITED 's 'r. .'rr.s

PATENT OFFICE LOVELL A. HERSH, 0F DAYTON, OH IIO, ASSIGNOR T0 EARRY BOHN, 0F DAYTON, OHIO L AGITATOR FOB- C'LOTHES WASHING MACHINES AND THE LIKE Application filed August 16, 1929. Serial No. 386,870.

0 in bunches or wads which not only prevented the free circulation of the water through the same but which would wedge between the agitator and the tub so as to interferewith the operation of the agitator and injure the clothes.

One object of the present invention is to avoid the difficulties heretofore experienced by so constructing the agitator that in operation it will maintain the clothes at all times in a free loose condition which will permit the free circulation of water through the same and prevent the same from forming in wads so as to interfere with the operation of the machine or to injure the clothes.

, A further object of the invention is to provide such an agitator which when moved i one direction will cause the water in the tub to circulate inwardly and upwardly and when moved in the opposite direction will cause the water to circulate outwardly and-downwardly, thus providing a highly eflicient cleansing action.

A further object of the invention is to provide such an agitator which will be simple in constructiomefiicient in operation and may be produced at a low cost.

Other objects of the invention willappear as the device is described in detail. I

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken-through the tub of a Washing machine, showing'the agitator in elevation; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the agitator; Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the agitator; Fig. 4. is a'vertical sectional viewof the aglta tor taken on the line 4.4 of Fig.

2; Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional .view of the agitator taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 6 is a fragmental sectional view of the agitator taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

In these drawings I have illustrated one 16 extend upwardly from embodiment of the invention but it will be understood that this particular embodiment has been chosen for the purpose of illustration only and that the agitator may take hub 11 rising above the base and adapted to receive an operating shaft. The agitator-- is shown in'Fig. 1 in connection with a tub 12 which, as illustrated, comprises a shallow cylindrical bottom portion 13 and has its circumferential wall curved outwardly and upwardly from the upper edge of the cylindrical portion so that the upper portion of the tub is of greater diameter than the lower portion. The cylindrical lower portion of the tub constitutes arelatively shallow recess in which the agitator is supported, the recess being of a depth materially less than the height of the agitator. It will be understood, of course, that the tub may be of any suitable character, the one here shown having been chosen merely for the purpose of illustration. The agitator may be supported in the tub and operated by mechanism of any suitable character and inasmuch as this mechanism'forms no part of the present invention and may be 0% the art it need not be i lustrated or described.

,a type well known in The base of the agitator is provided with a plurality of raised portions 14 which rise a considerabledistance above those portions I of the base which lie between the same. In the present construction the base has two raised portions arranged on diametrically opposite sides thereof and has its intermediate portions 15 substantially flat. The raised portions 14 are arranged substantially radial with relation to the hub, and blades or fins raised portions. Each of the raised 14 of the base has on the opposite the blade inclined surfaces which spective portions sides of slope downwardly from the blade in opposite directions and which merge at their highest points with the blade and at their lowest points with the intermediate flat portions of the base, so as to provide a continuous upper the tops of the recause themto merge gradually into the raised portions. The upper surface of the base, in-

. eluding both the fiat and the inclined portions thereof, is formed with substantially substantially vertical. The raised portions, 14 and the blades 16 may be of any suitable radial ribs 17 so as to provide the agitator with a rough or corrugated scrubbing surface. The lower surfaces of the raised portions of the base also slope downwardly in opposite directions from the respective blades, as shown in Fig. 6, so that the recesses in the lower side of the base will flare outwardly and merge gradually into the flat intermediate portions of the base.

The outer ends of these recesses are closed by peripheral walls 18, which, preferably, are

length but I prefer that they should terminate some distance from the peripheral edge of the base, thus providing ample clearance between the vertical walls 18 and the tub to prevent the clothes from wedging between the tub and the agitator. In the present construction the vertical walls 18 are spaced about an inch and a half from the edge of the base, which provides the desired clearance without interfering with the action of the agitator on the clothes and the water. Those portions of the base which extend beyond the outer ends of the raised portions may, if desired, be provided'with ribs 17.

The blades are preferably curved about vertical axes but are arranged with their outwardly curved surfaces substantially tangential to the hub. Each blade extendsfrom the hub in a substantially radial direction to a point near the outer end of the raised portion 14 on which it is mounted. A fillet 19 is interpo'sed between the inner curved surfaces of each blade and the hub to strengthen the blade and to avoid the forming of a recess or pocket at that point. In the present construction, the upper edges of the blades are substantially straight but are sloped slightly toward the outer edge of the base.

' The agitator is supported in the tub with its lower surface spaced a short distance from the bottom of the tub and is of such a diameter that the peripheral edge of the base will be spaced from the adjacent wall of the tub a distance sufficient to permit the passage of buttons or other solid substances which may enter the tub, but this space is so narrow that there is little likelihood of the clothes passing between the agitator and the tub so as to get beneath the agitator. Further,

referred. As the agitator moves in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, that is, with the inwardly curved sides of the blades foremost, the water or other cleansing fluid in the tub will be forced inwardly, toward the hub, and caused to rise and move outwardly in the upper portion of the tub. The corrugated surface of the base will engage the clothes with a rubbing action and the blades will move the clothes through the water in the tub. The arrangement of the blades and the circulation of the water produced thereby will maintain the clothes in a loose open condition, which will permit the free passage of the water therethrough and will prevent the clothes from knotting or forming in wads. When the agitator is moved in the opposite direction the blades tend to cause the water to circulate outwardly and downwardly and the scrubbing surfaces and blades act on the clothes in the same manner as before. The circulation of the water and the arrangement of the blades will again prevent the clothes from knotting or wadding in advance of the blades. Should small articles, such as handkerchiefs or the like, pass through the space between the agitator and the wall of the tub they will be received in the recesses beneath the raised portions of the basebut the sloping sides of these recesses will permit the free movement of the articles therein and prevent the same from being rolled into wads which would wedge between the lower surface of the base and the bottom of the tub.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the details thereof as various modifications may occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In an agitator, a base having a central hub rising above the same, and a plurality of blades extending from said hub toward the peripheral edge of said base, those parts of said base which lie between the adjacent sides of said blades each having a substantially flat central portion and having its end portions sloped gradually upwardly from said central portion toward the respective blades to provide scrubbing surfaces on the adjacent sides of said blades.

2. In an agitator, a base having a central hub rising above the same,-and a plurality of blades extending from said hub toward the opposite the peripheral edge of said base, those parts of said base which lie between the adjacent sides of said blades each having a substantially fiat central portion and having its eild portions sloped gradually upwardly from said central portions toward the respective blades and merging gradually into said blades.

3. In an agitator, a base having a central hub rising above the same, and a plurality of blades extending from said hub toward the peripheral edge of said base, those portions 0 said base adjacent to the respective blades being of greater height than the intermedlate portions of said base and each having its upper surfaces sloped in opposite directions from the blade, the sloping surfaces on the opposite sides of each blade being of substantially the same length and being arranged at substantially the same angle.

4. In an agitator, a base having a central hub rising above the same, and a plurality of blades extending from said hub toward the peripheral edge of said base, each of said blades extending substantially tangential to said hub and those portions of said base on sides of each blade being sloped downwardly and in opposite directions from said blade.

5. In an agitator, a base having a central hub rising above the same, and a plurality of blades extending from said hub toward the peripheral edge of said base, each of said blades being curved about a substantially vertical axis and having its outwardly curved surface substantially tangential to said hub, and those portions of said base on op osite sides of each bladebeing sloped gra ually downwardly and in opposite directions from said blade.

6. In an agitator, a circular base having substantially flat opposite portions and raised portions between the adjacent edges of said fiat portions, and blades extending upwardly from the tops of the respective raised portions, each raised portion having both its upper surfaces and its lower surfaces sloping gradually in opposite directions from its blades and merging into the upper and lower surfaces, respectively, of'said flat portions.

7. In an agitator, a circular'base having substantially radial portions rising above the intermediate portions thereof, the outer ends of said raised portions being spaced from the peripheral edge of said base, blades extending upwardly from the tops of the respective ralsed portions, each raised portion sloping gradually in opposite directions from its blade and merging into the intermediate portions of said base. i

8. In an agitator, a circular base having substantlally radial portions rising above the intermediate. portions thereof, the outer ends of each raised portion terminating in a substantially vertical wall which is spaced from the peripheral edge of said base, and blades extending upwardly from the tops of the respective raised portion, each raised portion sloping gradually in opposite dlrections from its blade and merging into the intermediate portions of said base.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature hereto.

LOVELL A. HERSH. 

